Demise of the Beloved Sister of Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat

The elder sister of Shaykh-e-Tareeqat, Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat, ‘Allamah Muhammad Ilyas ‘Attar Qaadiri دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُـهُمُ الْعَالِيَـه, ‘Zahra Bint-e-Haji Abdur Rahman’ (known by the name of ‘Foee Ma’ [فوئی ماں]) departed this life on 2^nd Jumadal Ukhra 1441 AH corresponding to 28 January 2020 following a prolonged illness.

اِنَّا  لِلّٰہِ  وَ  اِنَّاۤ  اِلَیۡہِ  رٰجِعُوۡن

Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُـهُمُ الْعَالِيَـه was out of country at that time. After hearing about the blessed demise of his beloved sister, he returned to Pakistan immediately and led the funeral Salah of his beloved sister himself in the global Madani Markaz Faizan-e-Madinah Karachi. Thousands of devotees of Prophet attended the funeral Salah. After the funeral Salah, Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُـهُمُ الْعَالِيَـه made a heartfelt and highly emotive Du’a of ‘forgiveness and for attaining high ranking’ for his deceased sister. The deceased sister of Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat was laid to rest in Sahra-e-Madinah Tool Plaza Karachi. Madani Muzakarah in connection with the Sawyam^[1] of the deceased was held in the global Madani Markaz Faizan-e-Madinah on Thursday 30^th of January 2020 after ‘Isha Salah. Some extracts from this Madani Muzakarah are as follows:

Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ

I am deeply grieved at the demise of my sisters. The elder sister was like mother for me. Our house stands deserted now. There is hardly anyone in the present era who has as much admirers as I have but they cannot fill the vacuum of family members. My house gives a deserted look today. (Pointing towards the elder son, Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُـهُمُ الْعَالِيَـه said) his mother ‘Umm-e-Bilal’ told me that my sister had recited Kalimah aloud twice or thrice and then she fell. Coincidently, the elder daughter of Nigran-e-Shura Haji Imran had arrived from Hyderabad. She immediately supported her and put her head in her lap. She also narrated: My sister recited Kalimah Tayyibah many times and called out ‘یَا رَسُوْلَ اللہ ’ and ‘یَا غَوْث، یَا غَوْث’. اَلْحَمْدُلِلہِ! We have devotion to Sunni beliefs and Ghaus-e-A’zam رَحْمَةُ اللّٰەِ عَلَيْه since our childhood. My deceased sister was one year older than me. I am the youngest and the last one left amongst my siblings. Allah Almighty knows how many breaths I have left. May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ keep his Iman safe and save us from bad end.

Nigran-e-Shura

Three habits of Foee Ma: (1) She used to talk with gentleness. (2) She knew how to please others. (3) She used to make a lot of Du’as for others .

These habits are extremely important for maintaining a good environment at home. Especially elderly Islamic sisters of a family should possess these qualities, for example if they talk gently, make Du’a for others, and please daughters and daughters-in-law etc., their house will become a place of peace and tranquillity. They may also be remembered in good words when they will depart this world.

The successor of Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat

The deceased aunt would not cry out in trouble (i.e., Allah Almighty blessed her with infinite patience). Just a few months after, when my elder aunt got paralyzed, she also laid up in bed with illness.

Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat

On the occasion of the blessed demise of my sister, many people came to extend their condolences. Those who have extended their condolences whether their messages of condolence reached me or not; similarly those Islamic sisters who helped in [giving Ghusl and shrouding and, those who made Isal-e-Sawab], those who consoled us and those who kept engaging in other related activities are really close to our heart. I thank all of them. May Allah Almighty bless all of them with great reward and grant forgiveness without accountability.

Ramadan-ul-Mubarak is getting nearer. Allah’s Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, blessed companions عَلَیْھِمُ الرِّضْوَان and pious predecessors used to make preparations for Ramadan before its arrival.

Dear Islamic sisters! You are also requested to complete all those household chores beforehand that interrupt your acts of worship such as fasting, performing Salah, recitation of Holy Quran etc. Mentioned below are some such tasks and their solution:

Cleanliness

Remove spider webs from the walls and have carpets and curtains dry cleaned. Clean kitchen cabinets, shelves and microwave oven. Likewise, fridge cleaning is also important as its usage increases comparatively in Ramadan. Take out the shelves of the fridge carefully and wash them thoroughly with water, applying baking soda and then clean them with a dry cloth or leave them to dry in the sun. Thereafter, clean it inside out using a piece of cloth.

Food items

Firstly, make an estimate of oil, salt and chillies etc., required for the preparation of different dishes during the month of Ramadan. As per your budget, make a list of all required ingredients and arrange them beforehand so that you may spend the valuable moments of Ramadan while performing the acts of worship.

Iftar preparation

Since different types of food items are prepared for Iftar meal, so, it is better to prepare those food items in advance that are used daily, for example make ginger-garlic paste and freeze it putting it in a jar. In the same way, prepare vegetables e.g., spinach, peas etc., in advance and freeze them.

Timetable

Make a timetable for the month of Ramadan so that you can perform the acts of worship with a peace of mind and carry out household chores comfortably. If you are a working woman, then you need to manage your sleep hours properly; otherwise there is a risk that your plans may get disrupted. In Ramadan, Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ gives answers of the questions asked in the live Madani Muzakarah on Madani Channel after Asr and Taraweeh Salah and gives solutions of worldly and religious matters. So, set your timetable accordingly so that you could watch Madani Muzakarah without affecting your other routine tasks.

Eid preparation

*    It is Mustahab to wear good clothes on Eid day. So, it is suggested that ladies, gents and children should do all their shopping beforehand. Thus, they will not have to face packed malls, a large increase in prices etc., at the time close to the Eid day and they will be able to perform maximum worship during the month of Ramadan.

*   It is good to iron Eid clothes in advance or it can be done with gaps as per convenience.

*    It is recommended that Sadaqat-e-Wajibah and Naafilah be paid to deserving people beforehand so that they too benefit from the blessings of Ramadan and Eid.

May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ grant us Taufeeq to spend the valuable moments of the blessed month of Ramadan with good health, safety and wellbeing.

اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ النَّبِیِّ الْاَمِیْن صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم

Brief introduction

Her name is Haula and her father’s name is Tuwayt Bin Habib. She belongs to the family of Quraysh. She is one of the female companions of our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم who was privileged to migrate to Madinah and who was privileged to pledge allegiance to our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.  She is renowned for worshipping a lot, offering Salat-ut-Tahajjud regularly and for staying awake during the night to perform worship.  (Al-Isti’aab, vol. 4, pp. 377, Hilyat-ul-Awliya, vol. 2, pp. 78)

She would spend whole night in worship

Once when she passed by Umm-ul-Mu`mineen Sayyidatuna Aaishah Siddiqah رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا, our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was also with her at that time. Sayyidatuna Aaishah رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا humbly said to the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, ‘She is Haula Bint-e-Tuwayt. People say, ‘She does not sleep the whole night (but rather remains busy with worship).’ Our Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said (with surprise), ‘does not sleep for the whole night!’ (Then he صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said) ‘Perform as many deeds as you can. By Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, Allah Almighty does not stop showering (His blessings), until you get tired.’ (Muslim, pp. 308, Hadees 1833)

Friend of Sayyidatuna Khadijah رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا

Sayyidatuna Aaishah Siddiqah رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا has stated, once, Sayyidatuna Haula Bint-e-Tuwayt asked for permission to enter the house of the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. He صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم granted her permission. When she entered the house, the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم paid special attention to her and inquired after her. Sayyidatuna Aaishah رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا said, Having seen this, I humbly said, ‘Ya Rasoolallah صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! Why are you paying so much attention to her?’ He صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, ‘She would also visit us even in the time of Khadijah رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا, and it is an attribute of Iman to behave well with (your) old visitors.’ (Al-Isti’aab, vol. 4, pp. 377; Jannati Zaywar, pp. 522-523)

Respected Islamic sisters

Learning a lesson from the above-mentioned parables, we should behave well with our old visitors and should serve them well as this is an attribute of believers. We should also perform more and more acts of worship, following the Seerah of Sayyidatuna Haula رَضِیَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا, but we should keep in mind that in Allah’s sight, favourite is the deed that is performed consistently no matter how little it is. (Bukhari, vol. 4, pp. 67, Hadees 5861)

Perform worship in moderation and avoid causing yourself great inconvenience regarding performing worship so that you perform deeds consistently which is required and liked in Islam.